Ayurveda, self actualization, healing of depression through inner light, self referral, object referral, Self, state of bliss, inner light, discovering our Self, meditation, visualization, Depression, Alternative therapies, mind-body medicine, integrative therapies

In Ayurveda, the Self, one's inmost spiritual center, is said to be a field of contentment and joy. When our attention is directed exclusively outward to the objects of experience and we don't meditate or have deep experiences of prayer or other spiritual practices, we easily lose touch with the unbounded awareness and bliss of the Self. This outward turning of awareness is known as "object referral." On the other hand, turning inward to gain the experience of the Self is called "Self-referral."

Self-referral is an experience. What we experience when we look inward is an experience of pure bliss, an underlying perception of the pure consciousness. We experience an inner quietness or silence, a state of pure awareness or pure being that is blissful and expansive in nature.

This experience is very important. That is because ultimately all happiness comes from within us. A depressed person is not able to derive happiness from anything, even from things and people that formerly gave them great joy. They only see darkness everywhere.

Our reaction to external events is governed by our mood or state of inner self. As our inner moods shift, our ability to enjoy the world around us shifts correspondingly. In a happy mood, we can derive joy from the smallest, most insignificant-seeming things. In a dark mood, everything is a drag.

Depression is an extreme form of object-referral, in which you completely lose touch with the inner happiness of the Self.

The more you lose touch with the joy and freedom of the Self, the more you are bound to feel frustrated and unhappy. The unhappiness disappears when you gain entry back into our inner dimension of fullness.

In other words, to treat unhappiness, we must increase our happiness. To treat darkness, we must increase the light. This principle has profound implication in which how we view and treat depression.

Healing by Shining Your Inner Light

According to Ayurveda, a central reason for the depression was lack of contact with a deep aspect of oneself that was a field of happiness and fullness. So, the goal of the therapy is to enable you to rediscover your inner Self.

Meditation is often used to discover one's inner bliss and inner self. This is often combined with gentle stretching exercises of Yoga. The therapy, obviously, has no side effects. It can be performed in the comfort of your home by yourself.

Victims report discovering a deep experience of pure consciousness, a very quiet, peaceful level of awareness while meditating. They often feel "filled with light and happiness." It leaves them with such an intense degree of inner fullness that very often they and their friends are startled by the sudden transformation in them - from feelings of gloom and suicide thoughts to hope and a positive outlook on life.

Meditation can do wonders to anyone with depression. You do not have to have depression to experience this pure bliss. It enables you to expand your boundaries and grow into a better life.

Source: Peter Alsemo and James Brooks, MD: "Ayurvedic Secrets to Longevity and Total Health"